Homeless
by Elament79
Summary: For one year, Natsu has been on the run. Exhausted, he meets Lucy, Just Lucy, and moves in with her. Everything thing seems to go well until Natsu's past catches up with him.
1. Found

Cars screamed down the road, horns honking. People passed by in waves, on their cell phones, yelling at the person on the other end. Vendors shouted their wares, trying to pull in customers. Billboards advertised their product in enormous letters and attractive pictures. Customers lined the outside of shops during the lunch rush, and bicyclists signed which way they were turning. Rats and mice ran along the alleyways, and boats drifted in and out of the harbor.

And Natsu sat behind a dumpster, stomach growling and blood caked to his temple. He was starving, hadn't eaten at all in two days. He'd found several abandoned water bottles, so he was hydrated, but the need for food was getting overwhelming.

The fight he'd been in the day before hadn't helped either. It was one on three, Natsu being the one. The brutes weren't homeless like he was. Instead, they were some of the rich boys, living the life on the outskirts of the city, the nicer part of town.

They had pelted him with trash, not caring whether or not the glass bottle had been broken, or the cup of coffee was still full. It had all rained down on him, and Natsu had been forced to run. The police were still after him on the other side of the country, so if word got out that someone who looked like Natsu Dragneel, son of the missing Igneel Dragneel, was in Hargeon, they would find him immediately.

He hadn't gotten away before getting injured though. A glass bottle (that was indeed broken) had been hurled at him, striking his temple and drawing blood. It had knocked him to the ground, dazed, and the boys had jumped on him, beating him with whatever they could find. He had been forced to fight back, but only knocked the wind out of one before he managed to scramble away. He had gotten several alleys over and collapsed behind the very same dumpster he was behind now before passing out.

When he came to the next morning, he had realized that he was behind a restaurant. Which was both good and bad. Some restaurants were willing to feed him something. Some were willing to scream at him and call the cops.

Natsu hoped they would feed him.

He had inspected his wounds, and found that nothing was broken. He'd had enough good luck that he hadn't broken anything yet on his one year run from home, but he had come pretty close. There were bruises littering his chest and abdomen, and his arms felt like lead. He had a long but not very deep cut running the length of his calf. It worried him. That could easily get infected, and there was nowhere to go for medicine.

He had quickly patched the gash up with some already used gauze from his backpack. That would keep it from getting filthy.

So now he sat, waiting for the backdoor of the restaurant to open and hopefully give him something to eat. The rats and mice were milling around him, but Natsu could care less. He'd been in shadier parts of cities before.

It was around noontime when the back door of the restaurant finally opened. The sun was high in the sky, the lunch rush in full swing. Natsu had rested his head back against the slimy wall, and closed his eyes. He was exhausted.

But the screech of the door woke him up, and his neck cracked painfully with his effort to see who was there.

It was a girl around his age with hair the color of wheat tied into a side ponytail. Her eyes were big, innocent, and brown, and she regarded him with gentleness. Her body was an hourglass shape, skin a flawless pale white. She was carrying the trash bag with one hand, the other was propping the door open. Her clothes were clean and pressed, not a wrinkle to be seen. Toned legs appeared out from under her skirt and ran down to sandaled feet.

She made Natsu feel like the lowest piece of scum on earth. She was perfect, and he was not. Hair greasy from months without showering. Skin tanned with grime, dust, and the occasional blood splatter. Scars littered his entire body, fresh wounds sure to leave him with more. His clothes were stained and tattered most likely beyond repair, his shoes falling apart. He had a black eye and a busted lip, and his hands were wrapped in gauze to protect them. He was sitting beside a dumpster and could still smell himself.

He had never felt more disgusting.

And then the girl smiled, making Natsu's cheeks pinken. She threw the trash into the dumpster and then walked back to the door and closed it behind her.

Natsu sighed and began to stand. She wasn't going to offer him food. She was probably going to tell someone inside that he was there, and then they would call the police to come find him.

Natsu groaned and grabbed his ribs as he stood. Damn kids, doing a number on him. He picked up his backpack and carefully slung it onto his shoulder, trying not to aggravate old wounds. He had only made it five steps from the dumpster when the door opened once again.

He looked back over his shoulder to see who it was who would try to push him away, and was surprised to see the girl once more. She was cradling a plate in the crook of her elbow, and in her other hand was a washcloth.

"Go ahead and take a seat. It's my lunch break now, so I have some time." She nodded to a clean spot on the wall and closed the door behind her. Natsu shifted away from her.

"W-what?" His voice was hoarse and throaty. He swallowed, licked his lips and tried again. "What are you talking about?" His voice cracked in the middle of the sentence, but he ignored it.

"Are you hungry?" His stomach answered for him, and Natsu nodded awkwardly at her smile. "Here." She extended the plate out towards him. He refused to take it.

"It's your lunch, isn't it? I don't want to take it from you. And . . . I – I should be going." He pointed over his shoulder at the alleyway and began to walk backwards.

"Oh, don't be a baby. This isn't my lunch, it was a forgotten about burrito from earlier this morning. So take it and eat it, cause otherwise it's getting thrown out." Natsu paused and glanced back and forth between the plate and the girl. Finally he accepted it and sat down against the wall, intent on devouring the meal.

She chuckled as she watched him, then sat down right in his personal space. Natsu flinched at the closeness, but let her be. She was feeding him, the least he could do was be courteous and not shove her away.

The burrito was inhaled as quickly as possible. It was still warm, and it was so good! There was scrambled egg, tomato, black beans, sausage, and cheese inside of it. He couldn't remember a better meal since he had left home one year ago.

"Thank you." He mumbled softly when he was done. He handed her the plate back and attempted to stand back up, only to find a hand gently push him back to the ground. The girl got on her knees and leaned over him, washcloth in hand. Her hand ghosted over his temple. "What are you doing?" Natsu gritted out. People don't do nice things and expect nothing in return.

"What made this cut?" She asked and looked into his eyes.

"A . . . glass bottle?" He answered and leaned back against the wall, trying to get away from her hands. Her eyes darkened ever so slightly and she began to gently wipe away the dried blood on the side of his face. The way she was leaning over him left him a view of her cleavage and collarbone. "Y-you're really close." He squeaked out, hoping she would back away from him.

"Sorry." She muttered and backed off a little. She blushed when she realized why he had said this and adjusted her shirt. "Sorry." She said again and leaned back over him to finish cleaning his face. "There's a piece of glass right here. This might hurt." Natsu nodded slightly and let her work. He wouldn't have found that for a while.

The small fragment of glass was pulled out and dropped into the dumpster. The girl went back to cleaning his face as carefully as she could. It still hurt, but it felt good at the same time.

"I'm not going to be able to fully clean this with only a washcloth." She muttered, but continue anyway. "Are you injured anywhere else?"

"Well . . .yeah?" Mentally Natsu kicked himself. Would she send him to the hospital?

"Where?" She pulled back. "Your forehead is as clean as I can get it. It really would be best if you cleaned it with rubbing alcohol then bandaged it, but . . ." She trailed off. "Where else are you injured?" Natsu nodded at his leg with the used bandage. She rolled up his pant leg and gasped. "This is going to get infected if you leave that grimy piece of cloth there." Natsu simmered at that. Did he look like he had all the supplies in the world? She rolled the pant leg back down and propped her chin on her hand.

"Hmm . . . can you stay here for about an hour?"

"Huh?"

"I get off work in an hour. Can you stay here until then?" Natsu's breath caught.

"You're going to call the cops." He snapped and forced himself to stand.

"What?! No! I'm not going to call the police!"

"That's what they all say." Natsu began to limp his way out of the alleyway.

"I'm not! Really! I get off in an hour, and I'm offering to let you come home with me tonight! I'm offering food, medical supplies, somewhere to sleep." Natsu whirled on her at this. Seriously? She was offering that? It was too good to be true. No one did things like that for the helpless. Especially a young girl.

"Why should I trust you? Why should_ you_ trust _me_?" They didn't know anything about each other. This could be a setup. She could be trying to lure him somewhere safe before sending him off to an institution or orphanage. She could drug him. Hell, maybe she already did! And her? Why would she willingly let a homeless boy into her home? He could be a murderer or a rapist for all she knew! They _couldn't _trust each other.

But that didn't mean Natsu wasn't desperate for someone to have that with.

"Because you're you." She said and flushed at his intense gaze. "No one else would have tried to refuse food, thinking it was my lunch. No one else would have pushed me away for being too close." She flushed a little darker at that. "You have my trust." She said softly and fiddled with the bloodied rag in her lap.

Natsu was frozen. Did she actually mean that? How could she possibly trust him that easily? But . . . if that was true, then maybe he could trust her not to turn him in. She had cleaned his face without forcing him to ask. She had fed him. She had talked to him like a normal person, and now that Natsu thought about it, he hadn't seen her give him a pitying glance. It was like she understood something about him.

"People don't do nice things and expect nothing in return." He tried once more to give her an out. She smiled.

"Well then I guess you found an exception." Natsu swallowed the lump in his throat and sat down once more.

"Come back soon?" He asked, not looking at her.

"Yeah. If someone comes and tries to hurt you, the door's unlocked." He nodded his head, but knew he wouldn't go inside if he was threatened. That could put her and anyone else inside in danger.

"Okay."

"Okay." She stood and threw the rag into the dumpster then walked to the door. Just before she disappeared inside, Natsu spoke up.

"Hey, what's your name?" She turned back towards him and smiled.

"Lucy. Just Lucy." He nodded.

"Thank you, Lucy."

"And you are?"

"Natsu. Just Natsu."

"Your welcome, Natsu." And the door closed shut behind her. Natsu tilted his head back against the wall and smiled, then laughed. It'd been a long time since he had felt so free.


	2. Adopted

Natsu guessed it was around three o'clock when Lucy stepped back out of the restaurant. She was dressed differently, a blue skirt and a white t-shirt instead of the brown uniform she had worn for work.

She had smiled at Natsu when she stepped out and held out a hand to help him up. He had refused the hand, silently knowing that he would only track filth onto her if he took it.

She hadn't seemed upset by the refusal, but _was_ insistent on helping him walk to the parking lot, an area adjacent to the building. She had grabbed his arm and slung it over her shoulders, forcing him to lean his weight on her. Natsu had protested loudly at this, stating that he could walk by himself. Lucy had only rolled her eyes at him and continued on, chattering.

"Hmm, what should I make for dinner tonight? I've still got some rice from yesterday, and I stopped by the supermarket a few days ago for some carrots and lettuce. I could make a salad, but I'd need to get some dressing. Is Italian alright with you?"

"Shouldn't your parents be worrying about what to make for dinner? Isn't that what normal families do?" Natsu went rigid. Parents . . . they would surely turn him into the police! He hadn't even thought of that! Lucy just chuckled and eased the two of them around the corner to the parking lot.

"Yeah, but I don't live with my parents. I'm emancipated. My mom died when I was ten, and my dad . . . he . . . he doesn't really have the time to take care of someone." Natsu balked at that.

"O-oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay Natsu, really. I've gotten used to living by myself." Lucy nodded at the small blue car right beside them. "Hop in!" She let Natsu lean against the car as she pulled out her purse and keys. A button was pushed and the car lights flashed two times. She opened the passenger side door and eased him inside.

Natsu placed his backpack on the floor of the car and waited for the girl to climb in the driver's side. She leaned in and started the engine, closing the door behind her.

"Buckle up." He did as she said. "Is there anywhere you need to stop before we head home?"

_Before we head home_ . . . Natsu liked the sound of that. She was including him in her house, in her home, in her_ life_. He couldn't believe she had accepted him so quickly.

"Um . . ." it took him a moment to process the actual question, too overwhelmed with the implications. "What?" She chuckled at his obvious confusion.

"Do you have anyone you need to talk to or see before you leave here? A group of friends? A couple of older adults? Or maybe something you need to grab?" Natsu leaned back against the seat then leaned forward once more. "Don't worry about getting the seat filthy. It's leather, it'll wash off."

Natsu allowed himself to lean back and relax, although his heart was pounding. He was still afraid she would turn him in.

"No, I tried not to camp out with others. So no one really knows me. And I have all my stuff . . ." Natsu trailed off, wondering if there was anything he had left anywhere. Lucy nodded, put the car in drive, and pulled off onto the road. Natsu slumped against his seat and wrapped his arms around his stomach.

_Don't barf, don't barf, don't barf . . . _Lucy didn't seem to notice his predicament.

He tried to shrink into his seat to avoid being seen by the other people driving by. Thankfully they seemed more interested in watching where they were going and avoiding hitting pedestrians than staring at him.

A woman with three dogs walked down the sidewalk going in the opposite direction. _I wonder if Lucy has any pets_ –

"WAIT!" Natsu shrieked through his motion sickness and Lucy shrieked as well, causing the car to swerve.

"WHAT?" She yelled back at him and rounded furiously on the boy beside her. "_EYAH_! Are you okay?" Natsu was leaning against the door limply, face colored purple and holding his mouth.

"Trans . . .portation . . ." He whined.

"You have motion sickness." She deadpanned and the boy nodded. "Don't you dare vomit in my car, Natsu! It would sink into the leather, and I don't want smell it!" He pitifully moaned and nodded.

"Hmph. Why'd you shriek like that?"

"H-. . . uhhgg . . . Happy . . ."

"You're happy?"

"N-no. Cat." He whined and viciously tried to roll down the window. Lucy aided him by pushing the correct button. Natsu leaned his head out the window and let his tongue hang out.

"You have a cat?" A slight nod was all she got. Lucy sighed.

"Do you know where he is?" Another nod. "Can you direct me?" He nodded once more.

"T-take . . . next left." Lucy turned the blinker on and turned down the road to where he was directing her.

"Now what?"

"Stop!" She braked and pulled into a parking space, turning the engine off. She looked at Natsu to see if he was okay, and found he was already bounding out of the car as fast as his injured leg and ribs would allow. Lucy sweat dropped.

"HAPPY!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and cried out down the street. People looked up and stared at him strangely. "HAPPY! IT'S ME!" His hands lowered to his sides, and he listened, searching the ground for movement. Lucy stepped out of the car next to him.

"What does he look like?"

"He's blue. Oh! There he is!" Natsu limped over to a newspaper on the ground and lifted it. Underneath sat a very frightened looking kitty. He had only a small amount of white on the tip of his tail and the underbelly. The rest of him, shockingly, was blue.

"He's some sort of Russian cat. I forget the actual name of it, but there's a guy I saw once who knew a lot about cats and told me that." Natsu scooped the kitty up and held him in his arms. He turned to face the girl, and his eyebrows creased. "Um." He trailed off. "Is it okay if he comes with us?" He stroked the top of the cat's head gently, earning a purr from the animal. Lucy scrutinized him.

"He's covered in oil!"

"And bits of trash, yeah. But I can clean him off!" Lucy looked up into his face.

"You're going to be the one to take care of him." Natsu smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah." Lucy sent one last look to the feline, and then pet his head awkwardly.

"He can come." She turned back to the car and stepped in, waiting for Natsu and the cat. They sat in the front seat and Natsu opened up his jacket, allowing the feline to crawl inside. At Lucy's questioning gaze he explained.

"He doesn't like cars all that much."

"Does he get motion sickness to?" She teased and the boy blushed.

"Not that I know of." He grumbled and Lucy laughed. She turned the car on and pulled out of their parking spot.

"Next stop, home!"

* * *

><p>Her home was an apartment in Magnolia, a town not very far from Hargeon. It was located on Strawberry Street, directly in front of a river. Natsu hadn't come through Magnolia on his way to Hargeon, but now he wished he had. It was a beautiful town, made even better by the people who lived there.<p>

Everyone they drove by waved at Lucy. On their way into the building (her apartment was on the top floor) Lucy had been pulled to the side and dragged into conversation three times. She had dismissed them quickly, saying she 'had to get her friend inside and settled down'. Natsu was beginning to wonder how long she was expecting him to stay.

Finally they managed to get to her apartment. Lucy unlocked the door and allowed him inside.

Natsu almost didn't want to step into her home. It was pristine, the carpet recently vacuumed, the dishes put away. Lucy hung her keys up on the hanger and took her shoes off to leave by the doorway. She closed the door and clicked the lock shut.

"Can you take your shoes off?" Natsu nodded and then paused.

"Where should I put Happy?"

"I'll take him." Natsu opened his mouth to tell her that Happy didn't really like people all that much when the girl plucked him out of his arms. She pulled him in against her chest and made little cooing noises, petting him and disappeared around the corner.

Natsu's mouth gaped open. Everyone he had ever seen try to touch the cat wound up bleeding. He quickly shrugged the remainders of his shoes off and left them by the doorway.

"Would you prefer a bath or shower?" He heard Lucy shout from inside some room. He followed her voice and noticed that she was in the bathroom with Happy. The cat had curled up on top of her towels and promptly fallen asleep. Lucy was leaning inside a small closet, grabbing things and laying them out on the sink top.

"Natsu?"

"Uh, shower?" He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Okay then. I'll let you play around with the temperature of the water. There's shampoo here, conditioner here. They're both mine, so they'll make you smell a little bit like a girl, but if you don't use too much of it then it shouldn't be a problem. There's soap and a scrubby thing in the bathtub, and I just put some razors on the sink if you wanted to shave. Washcloths and towels are right there with Happy. I asked a friend of mine to drop off some of his old clothes for you, and he also bought some underwear, a toothbrush, and some shaving cream for you. Let me go grab those, I saw them in the living room." Lucy walked out of the bathroom to go grab whatever she saw. Natsu again had to swallow the lump in his throat.

"Here. It looks like he left a t-shirt, sweatshirt, jeans, a belt, and some socks. You don't have to brush your teeth yet, but you must after dinner." Lucy nodded and then looked up at the boy. "Take your time." She gave him a charmingly sweet smile and then closed the door behind her.

Natsu simply stood there and stared at the door, dumbstruck.

"You must be an angel is disguise, Luce." He muttered and wiped at his eye. He turned to look at all the things she had laid out on the sink top for him and the clothes her friend had donated.

Just this once, he would indulge. He would not run away from kindness like he had before. Natsu turned on the shower full blast and turned it to hot. The last time he had bathed was months ago.

He stripped out of his clothes, eager to get rid of them. He peeled off the bandages from around his leg, hands, and the other various spots on his body. When he was sure he was completely naked, he leaped into the hot water of the shower. Immediately the grime on his body began to fall.

He couldn't help but stand under the water, relishing the feeling. Then he got to work. He had to be careful of the cuts and bruises, but couldn't bring himself to care too much if it hurt. He scrubbed his entire body, head to toe, with soap. He washed the inside and outside of his ears. He used the scrub brush to get under his fingernails, knowing he would find a nail trimmer somewhere in the bathroom. He abused the soles of his feet with soap, and he used a washcloth to clean the worse off injuries. His hair was washed twice with the shampoo and he only bothered to use a pea-sized amount of Lucy's conditioner.

Finally, feeling so utterly refreshed he thought he could cry, Natsu turned the water off and stepped out of the bath. He wrapped a towel around his waist and looked into the mirror, astonished the see his reflection, void of all dirt and blood, looking back on him. He grabbed the shaving cream and a razor and lathered his face. He cut all of the little hairs off and then did the same to his neck. He washed the cream off and made sure to get every crack in his hand clean.

He grabbed the towel from around his waist and began to dry his hair. It stuck to the side of his neck, and he wondered if Lucy would be willing to trim it for him. The cut on his leg was bleeding again, so he grabbed some toilet paper and wiped it off. The same went for the cut on his temple, and several other smaller gashes across his body.

Bleeding was much better than infection.

He dried himself off then reached for the clothes she gave him. The shirt was black and fit him perfectly. It was faded somewhat from use, but Natsu didn't care. He tugged the underwear and jeans on, rolling one leg up so he wouldn't get blood on it, then wrapped the belt around his waist, tightening it to hold his clothes up. He shifted around in the new garments.

He knew that some of the wounds on his torso would need to be wrapped, but he didn't know how. Hopefully Lucy did.

Natsu unlocked the door and stepped out of the bathroom. He couldn't smell anything cooking yet. Maybe she had run to the supermarket.

Natsu peeked around the corner for her, but didn't find her. The door to her apartment opened, and the two locked eyes. Lucy slowly closed the door behind her, not breaking eye contact with the young man before her.

"You look very different now Natsu." He smiled at her and blushed lightly.

"Yeah . . . I can imagine." He looked down at himself, not quite recognizing his own body.

"Do you want me to try to trim your hair? I'm warning you, I'm not responsible if anything bad happens." She joked. Natsu grinned and nodded. Lucy pointed to the bathroom and told him to sit down on the toilet and take off his shirt while she put away the groceries.

He did as he was asked, no questions.

Lucy walked in behind him and grabbed a small pair of scissors from the closet. She mussed his hair up, spraying some water on it to get it wetter and dropped a towel around his neck to keep the hair off.

"I had no idea your hair was this pink."

"Shut up." He muttered petulantly and puffed up his cheeks in annoyance. She laughed freely at him.

She trimmed his bangs then moved on to the sides. Every now and then she would tilt his head or stare at him from straight ahead to make sure everything was even. She placed the scissors down when done and carefully untangled the towel from his neck to avoid dropping hair everywhere. She shook it out over the floor, and at Natsu's gaze explained that she would vacuum it later.

"Better?" Natsu fingered his hair. It felt very similar to the haircut he had back when Igneel was still with him.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now let me bandage you." Lucy grabbed the gauze, rubbing alcohol, some triple antibiotic ointment, a package of Band-Aids, the roll of toilet paper, and some tape. "Can you hold your hair out of the way?" Natsu flipped his bangs to the top of his head and held his hand there, waiting for her to get to work.

Lucy tipped the bottle of rubbing alcohol over onto a handful of tissue paper and then placed it over the gash on his face. Natsu cringed at the feeling, but didn't pull away.

"Did you find anymore glass in the wound?" He shook his head no.

"Good, cause I don't see any more." She pulled her hand away and with new toilet paper wiped away the rubbing alcohol and blood. She squirted some triple antibiotic ointment onto her finger and applied it over the cuts from the glass bottle. Then she took the gauze and gently began to wrap it around his head, making sure not to get any hair in it. She secured the bandage with some tape.

She finished quickly and knelt to his leg.

"This one might hurt more. Can you go sit on the edge of the bathtub?" Natsu complied. She followed him there and placed his injured leg inside the tub, then picked up the bottle of rubbing alcohol. "I need you to kind of part the sides of the injury so this can go in." Natsu leaned over and stretched the two sides of the wound open, allowing the rubbing alcohol to run over it. It hurt like a bitch.

Lucy then turned on the shower head, picked it up and rinsed off his leg. She dried it off gently with a towel, getting blood on it, and gooped it up with ointment. She wrapped gauze all along the length of his lower leg.

"Are either of these too tight? Too loose?" Natsu wiggled his leg. It didn't feel like it was cutting off the circulation.

"I think they're both okay." She turned to his chest and frowned at the random bruises and scars.

"I'll get you an ice pack for these later." She gently placed Band-Aids and ointment over the smaller cuts on his chest and back.

"Sit up straight. You need these ribs wrapped." Natsu did as she said. She placed her hand, palm down, on his side and Natsu gasped. Her eyes snapped to his. "Did that hurt?"

"N-no. You just . . . startled me."

"Oh. Sorry. Tell me where it does hurt." Her hand began to move, gently nudging his ribs and trying not to aggravate them too much. Natsu sucked in a breath and hissed.

"That. There." He wheezed out, and turned his head to the side to cough painfully. Lucy picked up the gauze and began to wrap it around his chest where he said it hurt. She bent him to the side to wrap it better then bent him back when she finished.

"Do your ribs hurt anywhere else?" She placed her hand on the other side, fingering different places and watching his face. He winced at once spot, but didn't react like he did earlier. "Looks like it was just that one place. I'll get you some ice to hold there during dinner and before you go to bed." She handed him his shirt, and Natsu slipped it on, now very aware of the wrappings on his body and the movement of his chest.

"Anywhere else need to be wrapped?" Natsu shook his head.

"It was mainly my leg and head. And ribs." Lucy smiled.

"If you need anything, tell me." Natsu nodded, although he knew he wouldn't ask for more than she had given him. "Alright. How about you clean up Happy, and I'll work on dinner. You allergic to anything?" Natsu shook his head. "How do you feel about spiciness?" He grinned widely, but turned his head away and covered his mouth to hide it. He didn't want her to go out of her way to please him. Beggars can't be choosers.

"I . . . like it."

Lucy leaned over and slapped the side of his head that wasn't injured.

"Ow! What was that for?" He rubbed his ear and pouted at her again.

"Don't lie to me! Don't hide what you're thinking or feeling! You're my guest and a friend, and friends don't do those things to each other! If you don't like spicy food, then tell me, okay? It's not like I'm going to force you to eat it." Lucy grumbled under her breath and stepped away from him, making her way out of the bathroom.

Natsu, stunned, watched her walk away.

_Friends?_ He turned to Happy, who was watching with lazy eyes. Natsu picked up the feline and placed him in the bathtub. He closed the door and pulled the curtain to the side. If the cat didn't like water, he did not want him to ruin Lucy's curtains in an attempt to escape the wetness.

Natsu began picking off particles of trash that had stuck to the animals fur. There was a Hershey kiss wrapper, a piece of newspaper in between two toes, what looked like the covering of a straw stuck to his belly, and a lot of little pieces of dirt and mud.

Now came the hard part. Natsu turned the handle of the shower on and pulled the head down. He turned the temperature to warm, and the setting was put on "Shower". He turned to Happy, who was watching him silently.

"Sorry, buddy." He was careful not to get the cat's head when he suddenly sprayed him with water. The animal jumped when he felt the warm water, but other than that, did nothing.

Natsu stared at him. "You're not afraid of water?" Happy did nothing. Natsu shrugged. "Makes life simpler for me." He lathered his hands with soap, and then dove in. Grease and mud began to stick to his hands once more. After feeling how nice it was to be clean, Natsu almost didn't want to clean Happy. But if he didn't, the cat would most likely do it himself, and the stuff on him could probably kill him. Or Lucy would do it. And he didn't want Lucy to do more than she had to.

When he reached Happy's belly the cat began to purr. Natsu laughed (and then coughed in mild pain) when he rolled over, sticking his legs up in the air and stretching out. He let him go and reached for the shower head again. The spray of water washed out the grime, leaving Happy a brilliant (and unnatural) blue. The cat sat up, dripping wet, and shook himself off.

"Stop, Happy, I'm dry!" The cat jumped out of the bath and attempted to walk across Natsu's lap, but he stood before he could do that.

Natsu grabbed a towel and rubbed out the water from his fur. The cat was slippery, continuously sliding out of the towel and meowing in annoyance. At last he allowed himself to be dried off, and Natsu stood, leaving the towel in a pile with the others.

He scooped up Happy and walked out of the bathroom, letting out a fog of steam. He made a mental note to clean up the bathroom for Lucy later.

But right now it was time to make amends.

He peeked round the corner and saw the blonde at the counter. Her back was to them, but she peered at him over her shoulder when she heard the door open.

"What are you making?"

"Tacos! And salad." His stomach growled, and Lucy laughed as she opened the cupboards. "Still hungry." It seemed as though she had forgiven him for not speaking his mind.

"Starving." He muttered and sidled up next to her, placing Happy on the ground beside them. "What can I do to help?"

"Do you know how to operate a kitchen?" Her laughing eyes almost rendered him speechless, but Natsu saved himself in time.

"I used to be the one to cook when I was a kid. Dad didn't know how."

"And your mom?"

"Never met her." Lucy turned to look at her companion, eyes sad.

"I'm sorry."

"Not knowing your mom is not as hard as loosing her." He shrugged at his words. Lucy reached out and wrapped her arms around his chest, holding him tight, but not tight enough to hurt him. Natsu, shocked, tensed. Realizing she was trying to offer him comfort, he pulled his arms out of her grip (this was difficult, she didn't really want to let him go) and gently looped them around her body. He relaxed when she snuggled even closer.

"Luce?"

"Did you just give me a nickname?"

"No."

"Yes you did."

"Fine. Maybe. But . . ."

"Hmm?"

"I really, really, really like spicy food."

"Why do you sound so humiliated?"

"Cause . . . I . . . don't know?"

"It's no skin off my back. I have way too much stuff in my house. I'm well off financially Natsu, even if I am emancipated. Do you like Tabasco?" Natsu let out a very unmanly whine when he heard this.

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

"Good, cause that stuff burns my nose every time I smell it. I hate it." She pulled out of the hug and stepped right into Happy's tail. The cat let out an inhuman screech, which Lucy then answered with her own shriek, and the two jumped away from each other.

"YOU LITTLE-" Lucy caught herself, and placed a hand over her heart. Loud, obnoxious laughter and wheezes punctuated her fear and the girl turned to face her companion, who was leaning on the counter as he attempted to laugh. Lucy, alarmed, put a hand on his chest to try to calm him down. "You're gonna hurt yourself even more if you laugh like that!"

"Y-yeah." He stuttered and tried to calm himself. He wiped the corners of his eyes and jumped up to sit on the counter. "Tell me what I can do."

"You sure you wanna help?" He deadpanned at her.

"Yesterday I told you people don't do nice things without expecting something in return. You told me you were the exception." Natsu hopped off the counter and cornered her against it, staring at her and making sure he had her attention. "Luce, you are getting everything I can possibly give you in return for what you've already done."


End file.
